McALLEN — Among the warm and summer-like climate of the Rio Grande Valley, there exists a small piece of autumn where rows of pumpkins decorate the grounds.
Pumpkins of various shapes, sizes and shades paved the way for the fall-themed photo sets that lay quietly under a canopy of leaves.
Families and friends gathered Saturday at Maddie’s Pumpkin Patch in McAllen with cameras at the ready to capture the perfect fall photo.
It’s become something of a seasonal tradition in the area for the spot that’s now renowned, attracting people near and far to see pumpkins that are brought in by the truckload.
“Pumpkins in general don’t really grow down here, so we get them from up north close to the panhandle and New Mexico, where the climate is a little bit drier and there is sandier soil,” Ricardo Vega, co-owner of Maddie’s, explained.
Over the years, his pumpkin order has increased.
“When we started, it was just a small U-Haul that I used to go up and get myself, but in the last few years, I’ve had to order a semi-truck,” he said.
He and his wife Melinda Martinez Vega first opened their pumpkin patch to the public in 2017. They named it in honor of their daughter Maddie, who was hospitalized with a bacterial lung infection from which she has since recovered.
Every year the family sets up autumn-themed stations throughout their property where people from across the Valley and beyond can take photos, enjoy the outdoors and pick out pumpkins.
Once the pumpkins arrive, Melinda takes it upon herself to create elaborate autumn-themed photo sets for visitors to enjoy. In fact, according to Ricardo, who goes by Rick, many Valley residents looked forward to returning to the pumpkin patch after COVID-19 restrictions began to loosen.
“Right after the pandemic, it seems like people were ready to come out again. They came out in bigger droves than before,” Rick said.
This year’s pumpkin patch features a two-story tall wooden pumpkin that Rick so cheerfully referred to as “the great pumpkin at Maddie’s,” a reference to Charlie Brown.
Over the years, Maddie’s has gained more and more popularity.
Yasdha Cortez, 16, visited Maddie’s on Saturday with her family who traveled all the way from Mexico City to see the pumpkin patch.
Although it is quite the trip, this is not the first time Yasdha and her family have visited this particular pumpkin patch; in fact, it has become a tradition to visit Maddie’s every fall season.
A tradition that stemmed from a YouTube video.
“My sister and brother saw it on YouTube and wanted to come and see it,” Yasdha explained with a laugh.
Caitlyn Skalitsky, 27, of Weslaco, visited the pumpkin patch with her family for the first time Saturday to take advantage of the scenery for family photos.
“I think it’s super unique because we don’t see a lot of places like this down here in the Valley, so it’s nice that they’re incorporating the nature of the Valley into this fall festival-type deal,” Caitlyn said.
She found the pumpkin patch by asking Alexa, Microsoft’s voice assistant. According to Caitlyn, Alexa suggested nearby pumpkin patches, including Maddie’s.
Marlene Orta, 28, of Edinburg, visited the pumpkin patch with her infant daughter who looked at her surroundings with curiosity.
“We started coming to Maddie’s, my husband and I before we got married, and I wanted to make our own traditions,” Marlene said.
She explained that although it’s a fairly new tradition, she enjoys returning to Maddie’s every year to look at the newest designs and decorations.
“Maddie’s is also growing a lot, so I really like that, the fact that they don’t stay with the same stuff that they’ve always done,” Marlene said. “That’s why we love to keep coming because they are evergrowing and they accommodate well to families.”
The pumpkin patch is located at 6712 N. Bentsen Road in McAllen and is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Joel Martinez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Attracting visitors far and wide, Maddie’s Pumpkin Patch in McAllen grows in renown
